Unmasking Superfoods: OOBA

Hibiscus flowers have long been a staple, or at least a beloved ingredient, in teas and refreshments throughout the world. Utilized for everything from reducing cholesterol to purifying your blood, the large, trumpet-shaped hibiscus flower is as flamboyant as it is admired. OOBA hibiscus beverage (an unwieldy acronym for One Of Botany's Advantages – go figure?) employs the use of this flower's power for a lightly effervescent sangria-hued drink.

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OOBA liberally exploits the therapeutic strengths of the hibiscus flower (antioxidant-rich, high vitamin C content, alleged cholesterol reducer, etc) and comes in clear plastic bottles that closely resemble traffic cones. Directly competing with marketing giants like Pom Wonderful and SoBe in a zero-sum game for antioxidant beverage leader, OOBA's strength is it's high levels of vitamin C and relative low sugar content. However, the sweet taste of OOBA would certainly fool you. Not quite as sweet as conventional sodas, OOBA suffers from being just a bit too syrupy in flavor, and would benefit greatly from a little dilution or maybe even a shot of the hard stuff, if the mood is right.

Sweetness aside, OOBA holds an immediately likable flavor – somewhere between a cranberry and a red grape, and is pleasantly astringent, not unlike a dry red wine. As it is only mildly carbonated, you don't have to compete with a battalion of bubbles to savor the flavor of the drink.

Of the three flavors (Hibiscus & Orange, Hibiscus & Lime, and the unfortunately named Hibiscus with Attitude) the Hibiscus with Attitude (sorry, I don't really want my beverage to have attitude) is by far the most enjoyable. The attitudinal variety was straight forward, and a pleasant enough merging of fizzy, tart, and sweet. The other two citrus enhanced varieties attempt to improve on the simplicity of a very amiable drink with natural flavors (read: not real orange or lime juices) and wind up derailing the whole endeavor with a flavor that tastes artificial. My advice – stay simple and stick with the OOBA with Attitude, despite the name.

OOBA is available in 16 ounce bottles for $2.49 at Whole Foods Markets.